David and Goliath: Two Reciprocating Saws, One Lop-sided Test

Everyone loves a good head to head, particularly when the participants are hideously mismatched. In this competition, the David and Goliath of the reciprocating saw world fight it out over power, maneuverability and accuracy. Makita's 15-Amp reciprocating saw might just be the strongest on the market. It's big, powerful and capable of some serious demolition. The Milwaukee Hackzall is a new single-handed tool powered by a 12-volt battery. Since its release earlier in the year, it has most often been referred to as a "small reciprocating saw." This test unfairly pits the little guy against its giant, steroid-addled older brotherthe better to emphasize their comparative advantages.

Strength

The Test: To assess the good old-fashioned, raw strength of these tools, I found an old beam measuring 6-in. by 71/4-in. It's an impressive chunk of lumber and similar to the ones that have given the barn a perfectly straight ridgeline for more than 150 years. The test was a simple timed cut, straight through the solid wood. I had a hunch which tool would win, but with the scientific method in mind, I persevered.

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The Results: I started with the Makita 15-amp, and the speed with which it sliced through the wood was amazing. It was like dropping a knife through a mound of Jello. In just 43 seconds, the cut slab was sitting on the floor, and the tool wasn't even showing signs of warming up. During the cut, I let the weight of the tool do the work, hardly adding any pressure at all.

I knew there was no way for the Hackzall to compete with this kind of ferocious cutting power, so I decided just to give the smaller tool the same 43 seconds on the beam and see how far it would get. As you can see from the photo, it didn't get very far at all, not even deep enough to bury the blade in the wood. This wasn't from lack of trying either. Unlike the Makita, I put some weight behind the tool, attempted going in at an angle, and otherwise tried to help the thing along.

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Maneuverability and Accuracy

The Test: With the brute force determined, I then tested out the precision and maneuverability of the tools. To do this, I took a scrap of 1/2-in. drywall and marked out two 4-in. circular cuts, as if I were installing a ceiling light fixture. Then I packed up both tools in their respective cases and placed them 25 ft from the scrap. For the timed test, I had to get the tool to the sheetrock, cut the hole, pack up the tool, and put the case back where it started.

The Results: The Hackzall managed the task in a mere 1 minute 27 seconds. Because the tool is cordless, it was ready to go right out of the box. Once the cutting started, it was pretty easy to keep the cut on the line and to control the tool. This wasn't the case with the Makita, which clocked in at 1 minute 45 seconds. Once the Makita got to the cutting stage, it was much faster than the Hackzall, but the tool lost valuable time with cord setup. Also, when it came to precision, the bulky tool was extremely difficult to control and veered around the cut line like a drunken frat boy.

The Bottom Line

Did I think for a second that the Hackzall would chew through the beam faster than the Makita? Or that the Makita would make a nice clean circular cut on the drywall? Not at all. I was more interested in exactly how big the difference would be. In the arena of brute strength, the difference was considerable, to the point of ridiculous. Imagine an arm wrestling match between Vin Diesel and Napolean Dynamite. In maneuverability, the Hackzall won it. The difference here was substantial as well.

Makita and Hackzall are both great tools, each with substantial strengths. But don't get fooled by the fact that they can take the same blade, because that's where the similarities end. Saying that the 15-amp and the Hackzall are both reciprocating saws is like saying a rhinoceros and a house cat are both mammals. Sure, but as species, they couldn't be more different.